There's nothing like family
by yinyang754
Summary: The Corleone and Trapani families throughout the years. (Godfather fanfic,related to Hidden Evil.)
1. Chapter 1:Don't grow up too fast

'So what do you think of Vincent? I like him but i don't really remember him.' Eight year old Mary says as she climbs up on Noelle lap.

'I like him too,Mary.' Noelle says,putting her arms around Mary as the younger girl watches Sleeping Beauty on the tv but Noelle glances at Vincent.

If Mary was older,Noelle would tell her that she had a crush on Dominic at that age but something strange happened last night at the wedding.

Noelle felt drawn to Vincent when she danced with him last night and now it seemed like Mary was following in her footsteps.

Did she really have that much of an influence on her little cousin? It worried her a little bit but then she relaxes when she feels Mary's little hand touch hers.

' You have a crush on him,Ellie?' Mary says, making Noelle smile. 'Yes but it's our little secret,ok kiddo?' Noelle says,gently brushing a strand of Mary's hair out of her little face.

She has Michael's eyes,the older girl thought. 'Don't grow up too fast,Mary. Childhood is one of the best times in a person's life.' She says.

'My wise older cousin. I love you.' Mary says as she and Noelle hug.

'I love you too,Mary.' Noelle says,feeling calm for the first time in the last few days.


	2. Chapter 2: Fear and doubt

'Oh, how am i a troublemaker, Uncle Michael?' Fifteen year old Noelle says,putting an icepack on her right hand. 'You punched another girl in the face, Noelle! That's not proper behavior!' Michael says.

'No, it was self defense. She shoved me into a locker so i hit her. Besides, the little bitch has made my life a living hell! Don't lie to me about not wanting to take your aggression out on someone!' Noelle says as her hand goes numb.

'She say something about your scar? I know you hate it.' Michael says.

'Yeah,i hate that scar.' Noelle says,taking a deep breath.

'I was just minding my own business that day when Victoria Barzini called my mom a whore.  
Today,she got angry when i talked to her ex for a few minutes. I said that she's a conceited, air headed brat and that she jumped to the wrong conclusion so she shoved me and i smacked my head against the locker,busting it open...in the same spot, too.' She says, pulling her hair out of the way and shows Michael the five stitches holding the wound closed.

'I...i should really listen to both sides of the story before saying anything. I'm sorry, Noelle.' Michael says, carefully putting his arms around the shaking girl. 'I'm not mad at you, Uncle Michael. I could really use an aspirin though.' Noelle says,resting her head against his shoulder.

Yeah, she still has her doubts about his temper but she never doubts that Michael loves her. She just gets scared sometimes.


	3. Chapter 3:She'll always love him

'I miss him too.' Vito hears a young voice say and looks to his right, seeing Noelle and picks her up, holding her in his arms.

She seems so little like Connie was at that age.

'Santino is watching over us, Noelle. If you feel scared, look up at the sky and you'll know that he's there,  
sweetheart.' Vito says.

Even though she isn't his biological family, he loves her like a granddaughter. In his heart, Vito believes that blood doesn't make a family.

Love does.

Little Noelle has him wrapped around her little finger, like his children and grandchildren. Like anyone of the Corleones, she, Aldo and Serafina are family. Like Noelle's biological grandfather, Johnny.

He wouldn't change it for anything in the world.


	4. Chapter 4: Older brother,Younger sister

'Ok,i give in! Stop tickling me!' Noelle says, playfully swatting Dominic's hands away from her.  
It was a late summer day and the newly turned fourteen year old was hiding out in the backyard of the Corleone house, wishing that she didn't have to go back to school on monday.

She was too quiet and that worried Dominic. Noelle was usually smiling and laughing or making the younger children laugh by being silly.

'Now are you going to tell me what's bothering you, Ellie? Or do i have to tickle you again?' Dominic says, putting an arm around the small girl. 'Those girls are too damn mean! Alessandra Rosato and her group of air headed, trust fund, bleached blonde bimbos!' Noelle says, taking a deep breath after.

She wanted to strangle those little bitches but her dad and Michael were always trying to get her to keep her temper under control. That wasn't going too well.

'Those little girls think that they run the school. They see you as a threat but you could never hurt anyone,  
Noelle.' Dominic says,letting Noelle rest her head against his shoulder. He was an only child and so was she so they considered eachother as brother and sister.

Anything they felt like they couldn't tell anyone else,they would tell eachother. 'Dom?' Noelle says,picking her head off of his shoulder and looking at him. 'You should know by now that if someone tickles me, i tickle them back.' She says,tickling Dominic and making him fall onto the ground,laughing.

'Ok,ok! That's the Ellie i know and love.' Dominic says in between laughter and pulls her down next to him,both of them looking at the sunset.

'My little sister. I'll always be here to protect you.' He says, cradling her in his arms and kissing her on her forehead.


	5. Chapter 5: Seems like it was yesterday

'It's been a while since i've held someone so small. You remind me of Francesca when she was little, Noelle.' Sonny says as Noelle slept in his arms, her head against his torso.

The older man felt calmer as he cradled the toddler in his arms. His children were growing up so fast and he didn't want to miss a second of their lives.

Francesca and Kathryn were already in middle school, Frank was acting like he did at that age and Santino jr reminded him of Michael when he was little.

'I love you, Uncle Sonny.' He hears Noelle's sleepy voice say and looks at her,smiles and kisses her on her forehead.

'I love you too, Noelle. Don't grow up too fast. Stay little for as long as you want to.' Sonny says as Noelle's sleepy eyes study the look on his face.

It isn't long before she falls back asleep,her little face buried in his shirt. 'No matter how old you get,  
you'Il still be my little niece, sweetie.' He thought, kissing Noelle on her forehead.


	6. Chapter 6: When in Rome(Well,Sicily)

'Ok. You're too quiet. Something on your mind?' Vincent says as Noelle stares at the ceiling fan.  
The sixteen year olds just had sex for the first time.

Well, it was Noelle first time. She wasn't sure if Vincent had been with any other girls and they were in Sicily on vacation with her dad, Uncle Michael and the rest of the Corleone family.

It had been a year to the day since she had witnessed Fredo's death at Lake Tahoe so he had been on her mind but that wasn't the only thing that was bothering her.

She had promised to stay a virgin until marriage but her reconnection with Vincent overwhelmed her and the two of them gave into their attraction.

'I...i can't believe that we just did that. I really am losing my mind.' Noelle says,feeling the regret set in. If anyone ever found out...

'Hey, it's going to be ok. No one has to know what we did. Besides, we didn't do anything wrong. We were just expressing our desire, beautiful.' Vincent says as Noelle moves closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder.

They haven't seen eachother for years before he and his mom moved back to New York. Noelle had felt a strange attraction to Vincent since the wedding last year and around the same time, her childhood crush on Dominic intensified.

Now she felt like she was being pulled in different directions.

She couldn't figure out what to do about it.


	7. Chapter 7: Lost innocence

'You ok? You're too quiet.' A young voice says, snapping Noelle out of her daydream. She turned to her left, seeing fourteen year old Victor Rizzi. He looked just like his father but Noelle was thankful that he didn't have Carlo's violent temper.

'Yeah. It's been a long day and i'm just tired.' Noelle says, hating herself for lying. It's been a few hours since she had lost her virginity and she just wanted to keep it a secret. Victor nods, gently rubbing Noelle's shoulder and walks away. 'Great, now i just lied to my cousin.' She says to herself, reaching for a glass of red wine and drinks some of it.

'Easy with that, kiddo.' Aldo says,startling her. 'Before you say anything, sixteen is the legal drinking age in Sicily.' Noelle says, finishing her glass of wine and sets it on the table. 'Looks like someone's having a rough day. Maybe this will help.' Aldo says,massaging Noelle's neck and shoulders.

'How'd you know that my neck is hurting?' Noelle asks, slightly surprised. 'You're really out of it, Ellie. We were in a car accident a few weeks ago and your neck and spine were fractured. I'm surprised that you healed as quickly as you did.' Aldo says.

'Well, they were hairline fractures and they usually don't take too long to heal. I got out of that wheelchair after a week and started walking around.' Noelle says. 'Limping is more like it but i was scared that you wouldn't be able to walk again. You're a tough woman,Ellie.' Aldo says, taking Noelle by surprise.

'I think that's the first time that you've referred to me as a woman and not a girl.' Noelle says as Also puts his arms around her. 'Well, you're growing up pretty fast, Ellie. No matter how old you get, you'll still be my little girl.' Aldo says, kissing Noelle on the side of her head.

Not only did Noelle lie to Victor, now she felt like she was lying to her dad.

If he ever found the truth out, he wouldn't see her as a little girl anymore.


	8. Chapter 8: Overcoming the odds

'Ok. One step at a time. I can do this.' Noelle says as she puts her feet on the ground. She was determined to walk again and carefully stands up out of her chair, leaning against the wall as she slowly puts one foot in front of the other.

The small girl walks a few feet before pushing herself away from the wall and finishes walking down the hallway, much to Connie's shock when she sees her.

'Aunt Connie...' She says as Connie walks over to her and hugs her. 'You're one tough woman, Noelle. I'm proud of you.' Connie says.

It takes a lot of determination to overcome the odds but Noelle won't give in.

She'll fight with every last breath in her body.


	9. Chapter 9: Scared

The car horns surrounding them blared in Noelle's ears, waking her and Aldo up. 'Ellie?! Are you ok, baby?!' Aldo says, unbuckling his seatbelt and tries to unbuckle his daughter's seatbelt. 'Daddy...i...i can't feel my legs.' Noelle says, trying not to cry.

Aldo opens the driver's side door, gets out of the car and runs to the passenger side, trying to open the door. 'Close your eyes and shield your face, sweetheart.' Aldo says as Noelle uses her jacket to protect herself before her dad smashes the window, cuts her seatbelt off and drags her out of the destroyed car, holding her in his arms.

'Oh,man. What a mess.' Noelle says, seeing the smashed up cars surrounding them on the bridge. 'That doesn't even begin to describe it.' Aldo says, remembering the day that Solozzo's men shot Vito.

The police and ambulance sirens snap them out of their thoughts, as well as Noelle's pain filled cries.

Where she could feel pain, anyway.

Her legs were numb but her back and neck were hurting her. 'It's ok,baby. You're going to be ok.' Aldo says, trying to comfort her but he could tell that it wasn't working.

Lower Manhattan Hospital, 5th floor, room 1507

'Ellie, you're not going anywhere. You have a fractured neck and spine.' Aldo says, brushing Noelle's tears away. They were hairline fractures but the doctors admitted her while they called an orthopedic specialist for a consultation to make sure whether the young girl needed surgery or not.

'I hate this place, daddy. I want to go home. Please take me home.' Noelle says, terrified because she felt like the crash wasn't an accident. 'I know that you're scared, baby. I'm scared too.' Aldo says, hugging Noelle as carefully as he can.

She acts older but under that maturity is a scared little girl.

His little girl.


	10. Chapter 10: Not this time

'Hey, kiddo. Back to playing the piano again?' Al says as he sits next to Noelle, who had finished playing house of the rising sun but didn't sing.

' I was bored and started walking around the house when i saw it again. Is everything ok with Michael ?' Noelle says, trying to take her mind off of what happened back in Sicily.

She had a feeling that someone had found out about her and Vincent's tryst but wasn't sure who. Michael hadn't confronted her yet so she wasn't sure if that was good or bad.

Noelle had known Al Neri for her entire life as well as everyone who has worked for the Corleone family since she was little.

Still, she can't bring herself to tell him.

She just wants it to stay a secret.

'You ok, little one?' Al says, a concerned look on his face. 'I don't know what scares me more, when Uncle Michael is quiet or when he's yelling at someone. It's never a good thing when he's angry and if Fredo was still alive, he would say the same thing.' Noelle says as Al gently rubs her back to soothe her.

It wasn't going to work.

Not this time.


	11. Chapter 11:Facing the consequences

'If anyone else had told me, i wouldn't have believed them. You two slept together?!' Michael says as Noelle and Vincent glance at eachother, both of them trying to figure out how to explain this. 'We did.' Noelle says, knowing that the only way out of this is to tell the truth.

She was mad but not at either of the men in the room. She was mad at herself.

'You haven't said anything. Are you angry with me?' She says to Aldo. 'I want to be angry but i can't. I was your age once,Ellie. I did things that i didn't think twice about.' Aldo says, hugging his little girl. Noelle could tell that he was disappointed with her but he would forgive her over time.

Michael turned his attention to Vincent, who had a look on his face reminiscent of Sonny's whenever he got into trouble. 'Please tell me that you two used protection.' Michael says before Vincent takes a deep breath. 'Yes. I stole Dominic's wallet when he wasn't looking, saw a few condoms and grabbed one of them. We were careful.' Vincent says as Dominic walks in.

'You took my wallet? Why would you do that?' Dominic says before Noelle looks away from him. 'You little son of a bitch!' He yells, tackling Vincent and a fistfight breaks out before Michael and Aldo break it up and Noelle helps Vincent up, checking him for injuries as Dominic tries to break free in an attempt to kill Vincent.

'She's only 16 years old! She's still a child, you little punk!' Dominic yells, enraged but a much younger voice startles the five of them. 'Mary? Are you ok,kiddo?' Noelle says as she walks over to the young girl,kneeling down to cradle her in her arms.

'Why were Dominic and Vincent trying to kill eachother?' Mary says. 'Their tempers just got the best of them,sweetie. Guys fight with eachother sometimes.' Noelle says before picking Mary up and stands up to her full height. 'We don't need anymore fighting now. Please try to act like adults for a few minutes,you two. I'll be right back.' She says, taking the younger girl out of the room.

'Were they fighting because of you, Ellie? What did you do?' Mary says once they're back in her room and the door is closed.

'Remember when i said that when a man and a woman care about eachother...that they express it in a very intimate way that someone who is overprotective can't understand?' Noelle says,feeling like this is the only way to tell her little cousin about this.

'You and Vincent?' Mary says. 'Yes...and my dad, your dad and Dominic are not happy with us right now because we didn't tell them right away but we weren't sure how they would've reacted to it back then.' Noelle says after taking a deep breath. 'You were scared.' Mary says.

'We were. Vincent and i weren't trying to hurt anyone but we did. Now we have to face the consequences like adults.' Noelle says before she and Mary hug.

This wasn't going well and Noelle had a feeling that things were going to get worse.


	12. Chapter 12:Comfort in our dreams

'You haven't said anything since we got back home. You ok?' Dominic says as Noelle looks at him. It was late and she had taken her makeup off and changed into a navy nightgown, her hair in a messy bun. Noelle turns her attention back to her pillow but Dominic grabs her by her arm.

'Ellie, talk to me kiddo. I'm sorry and i'm not saying that to get you to talk to me, i'm really sorry.' Dominic says before Noelle looks back at him. 'You've always seen me as a little girl, Dominic. I'm not little anymore.' Noelle says.

'I know that you're not that little girl with a schoolgirl crush on me anymore but i'll always see you as that little girl who slipped and scratched up her leg or came into my room after a nightmare and curled up next to me. Finding out that you and Vincent had sex really ticked me off not because it happened but because you felt like you couldn't tell me without feeling scared.' Dominic says, brushing Noelle's tears away.

'I was scared of what you would do when you found out but i felt like an adult Dominic because i had made a major decision and i didn't take it lightly.' Noelle says before they hug.

'I know but i'll always see you as a little girl and i'll never stop trying to protect you because that's what family does for eachother,Ellie. You'll always be my family.' Dominic says, gently rubbing Noelle's back.

'We'll always be family. No matter what.' Noelle says, resting her head against his shoulder.

He could feel her drifting off to sleep and when she does, he carefully picks her up and puts her on her bed, tucking her in.

'Sweet dreams, Ellie. We could both use one tonight.' He says before kissing her on her forehead and walks over to the other side, pulls the covers back and lies down next to her before pulling the covers over himself, falling asleep.

They were both searching for some comfort and they hoped that they would find it in their dreams.


	13. Chapter 13:Gone too far

'I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to wake you.' Fredo says as Noelle looks at him through sleepy eyes. It was just after Anthony's communion and they were at the compound in Lake Tahoe but the fourteen year old had a feeling that something was off.

She sits up, intending on telling Fredo what was bothering her when he tackles her to the floor, protecting her from the gunfire.

'Ellie?' Fredo says after the gunfire stops but she doesn't say anything. She's not crying but he can see the terror in her eyes. Once he's sure that it's safe, Fredo sits up and pulls Noelle into his lap, cradling her in his arms.

She clings onto him, shaking violently.

'Are they gone?' She says after a few minutes, burying her face in his shirt. 'It's ok, babydoll. They're gone.' Fredo says, brushing his hand against her hair. He tried to reassure her that she was safe but he wasn't having any luck.

Johnny Ola had gone too far this time.


	14. Chapter 14:Temper like her father

'I said wake up, you scrawny brat!' Deanna screeched, slapping Noelle across the face and waking the sleeping teen.

She was pissed off because her husband was protecting Noelle instead of her.

Noelle stands up, tackling Deanna and a fight breaks out but it's not a normal catfight.

'Ellie! Calm down, your going to end up hurting her!' Aldo says, pulling his daughter off of Deanna as Fredo pulls Deanna back, seeing blood pouring out of her nose.

'My face! My perfect little face!' Deanna cries in agony, that shrill valley accent pissing Noelle off even further but before she could say something else, Fredo drags Deanna upstairs and Aldo lets go of Noelle.

It can be scary when she gets angry because she has his temper but it was directed at Fredo's wife when she didn't cause anything that happened last night.


	15. Chapter 15:Nightmare from hell

'Ellie...' Noelle could hear someone say but the voice sounded strange. Dad? No, it's not him. She tried to open her eyes but couldn't. Her body felt cold, like her soul had been violently snatched out of it. 'One more try.' She mouthed to herself and opens her eyes, taking in her surroundings.

The park not too far from her house and several cop cars nearby.

'She's just a little girl. What kind of monster would do this?' She hears a voice say, different from the one who woke her up.

He was about the same age as her dad and he was looking at a body on the ground, the sadness in his voice like he was imagining one of his own children.

The twelve year old carefully walks over to the crowd gathered nearby, finally seeing the mutilated body, a triple braided rope imprinted on the neck.

 _Her_ neck.

Before she knew it, the corpse's eyes snapped open, terrified screams following and everything around her fading into darkness...

'Ellie! Ellie, it's ok, baby. It's just a bad dream. It's just a bad dream.' Her dad says, his soothing voice waking her up. She wasn't in the park anymore, she was safe in her room and Aldo was holding her in his arms, gently brushing his hand against her hair.

'Daddy...' She says, her voice wrecked from the screaming. 'It's ok, baby. He's gone. The monster's gone.' Aldo says as Noelle stops shaking.

She calmed down enough to stop crying but couldn't get the image of her dead body out of her mind.


	16. Chapter 16:He was going to kill her

'Ellie, hold still honey. He's not going to hurt you anymore.' Aldo says, putting some ice on Noelle's bruised eye but the seven year old glares at Carlo as he's being dragged out of the house in handcuffs.

She had walked in the living room of Michael's house after hearing Connie screaming and saw Carlo punch her.

Before Noelle realized what she was doing, she charged at Carlo, knocking him down and showing him what it feels like to be beaten up.

Carlo went ballistic, throwing the tiny girl across the room and started kicking and smacking her but Noelle kept on fighting until she could see her dad pull Carlo off of her and hear him yelling at him, opening her eyes and seeing Carlo on the ground, covering his face.

Aldo had every right to be enraged. 'He was going to kill Aunt Connie...' Noelle says, her voice trembling as Michael comforts Connie, who hasn't said anything because she didn't know what to say.

The older woman was angry at Carlo because he snapped and took his rage out on her, then went crazy when Noelle stopped him.

The little girl was only trying to protect her because she believes that a man who abuses women and children is scum and Carlo Rizzi definitely fit the description!


	17. Chapter 17:In over her head

'Get a grip, Noelle. He's not worth it!' Noelle says to herself after splashing some water on her face. Of all the things that she could've done, it had to be this one that comes back to bite her!

Vincent just had to go and break her heart by cheating on her with Victoria Barzini and to make things worse, Victoria was claiming that she's pregnant and the bitch was actually happy about it!

Noelle had drank some water and rinsed her mouth out after throwing up for the second time that morning but the seventeen year old pushed her thoughts into the back of her head.

If Vincent had ever found out that he had gotten two girls pregnant, he was going to have not only Victoria's parents after him but Noelle's father as well.

That's if Dominic doesn't kill Vincent first!

'I don't know what i'm going to do, little one. I just hope that your grandpa doesn't freak out when i tell him.' She says, putting her hand on her stomach.

It wouldn't be too long before people start finding out the truth.

She felt like she was in a hopeless situation and the only thing that she could think of was telling the truth but she wasn't sure who to go to...


	18. Chapter 18:She's still just a baby

'You look like hell. What's wrong?' Aldo says after Noelle walks into the living room.  
Before she could say anything, a knock at the door interrupted them and from the frenzied sound of the knocking, the person outside wanted their attention immediately.

Noelle walks towards the door and opens it, seeing her pissed off ex boyfriend on the other side. 'About time that i found you! I tried Dominic's place, you weren't there, i looked at the bakery and your grandmother said that you were sick!' Vincent says as he walks in and Noelle closes the door.

'My daughter doesn't owe you an explanation considering that you cheated on her and broke her heart!' Aldo says, putting himself in between Noelle and Vincent.

'You haven't told him yet?! I want to know if it's my child, Noelle!' Vincent says, shocking Aldo and causing Noelle to breathe heavier, tears falling down her face. 'Ellie...' Aldo says. Noelle nods, letting out a scared cry. 'I'm sorry, daddy.' Noelle says before Aldo turns his attention back to Vincent.

'Ok, you need to leave. I'm not going to let you traumatize my daughter.' Aldo says. 'Your daughter is a lying tramp, claiming that it's my kid when she and i used protection every time!' Vincent yells before Noelle screams.

'I was faithful to you Vincent and you slept with Victoria and got her pregnant!' Noelle yells as her head starts throbbing and she starts feeling dizzy, Aldo catching her before she could fall.

Dominic and Michael could hear the shouting from upstairs and walk downstairs, Dominic checking on Noelle and Michael dragging Vincent out of the house. 'She's too pale, help me get her to the car.' Aldo says as he and Dominic help Noelle off of the couch and outside.

Mount Sinai St Luke's Hospital E.R

'Your daughter and grandchild are ok. Noelle's blood pressure was too high which caused the headache and dizziness but when she calmed down, her blood pressure returned to normal.' The doctor, a woman in her late thirties says before Aldo closes his eyes, letting himself calm down.

'She was going to tell me about the baby when her ex boyfriend showed up and started yelling at her, wanting to know who the father is.' Aldo says after opening his eyes. He couldn't believe that this was happening but because of how Vincent was behaving, Noelle needed someone who she could count on to protect her and her baby.

'Your daughter needs to avoid stress as much as humanly possible. Normally, symptoms of preeclampsia don't start until the second trimester so we're going to admit her overnight for observation. All her other tests came back normal so it looks like this was just a one time incident. Right now, she could use your love and support.' The doctor says before leaving and Aldo walks into the room where Noelle is.

She had stopped crying and hyperventilating but she had a distant look in her eyes. 'Hey, Ellie.' He says before sitting next to her and grabbing her hand. 'I was going to tell you and then he just barged in and started yelling. I don't want Vincent anywhere near me or my child.' Noelle says, running a hand through her hair as Aldo lets go of her hand and hugs her.

'I promise that he'll never get anywhere near either one of you again, babydoll.' Aldo says, brushing his hand against Noelle's hair. As far as he was concerned, Vincent would not have anything to do with his daughter and grandchild.

His little baby was having a baby...and all that matters to him is keeping both of them safe.


	19. Chapter 19:Two babies, one daddy

'Yeah, she's ok. Stay there and make sure that he tells Lucy about everything that's happened. Ok, thanks Michael.' Dominic says before hanging up and runs his fingers through his hair.

This was too much to handle and he felt like killing Vincent Mancini himself.

He then wondered if Vincent's pulled this stunt before on other unsuspecting girls and if Victoria Barzini was in on it as well but put those thoughts out of his head and walked into the hospital room Noelle is in, knocking on the door first and seeing Noelle asleep.

'She fell asleep a while ago. I hate to ask this but did Michael take that punk back to his mother?' Aldo says, brushing his hand against Noelle's hair. As much as he hated the Barzini family, he wondered if Victoria had even told her parents what happened because this involves her too.

'Yes he did and Michael's staying there to make sure that Vincent tells Lucy everything.' Dominic says as Noelle opens her eyes, a beautiful shade of blue like her mother's...

After a while (Mancini house)

'Not only did you break Noelle's heart by cheating on her but you also got her and Victoria Barzini pregnant...then you claimed that Noelle's baby isn't yours? Have you completely lost your mind, Vincent?!' Lucy says as Vincent puts his hands over his face and closes his eyes.

He thought that he could've gotten away with it but because he decided that getting into a screaming match with Noelle, she had ended up in the hospital and he was in more trouble than he bargained for.

Michael was wondering how Sonny would've handled this if he were alive but he was also worried about Noelle and if Noelle's mother Frances was still alive, she wouldn't be handling this so well either.

Meanwhile (Barzini house)

'Neither of you are old enough to raise a child, Victoria.' Alessandra says, trying to reason with her daughter. Ettore had left in an attempt to track down Vincent so he didn't know everything yet.

'I'm not the only girl involved in this. Vincent's ex is pregnant too.' Victoria says, noticing the shocked look on her mother's face. 'Two babies, one daddy and a whole lot of trouble.' Alessandra says, getting up and walking to the phone in the living room. Victoria had a familiar look on her face...one that the notorious Don Barzini would use if he were still alive.

Every evil thought possible was going through Victoria's mind.


	20. Chapter 20:Not alone

'Look, we need to find a way to figure this out...that doesn't include threats.' Michael says, seeing the look on Lucy's face. it's been a long time since he's had a civil conversation with this woman considering that he was the one who had Lucy's husband killed.

'I have no intention of threatening Noelle but i don't think that it's right that she doesn't want Vincent involved in their child's life. Sonny never got the chance to be a father to Vincent but that was not by choice.' Lucy says before a knock at the door interrupted them.

Vincent reached for the gun under the couch but Michael looks at him and he puts it down. Michael then unlocks the door, letting Connie in.

'I don't know what's going on but i heard that Noelle is in the hospital and i thought that you would know why.' Connie says, closing the door behind her and locking it.

'Connie...you might want to sit down for this.' Lucy says...

A few minutes earlier

Ettore carefully watched Connie's car pull over to the side of the road and saw the young woman get out. 'She looks just like Carmela.' He thought, wondering who his grandchild will look like.

'Maybe i should go find Noelle and get her side of the story. If she's willing to talk to me.' He says before driving his car away from the curb and pulling back into traffic.

Meanwhile (Mount Sinai St Luke's Hospital, room 515)

'Your grandmother was about the same age as you when i was born but things were different back then.' Aldo says as Noelle looks at him, unsure of how to react.

Yes, that was a different time.

Girls her age would get married in the old country, settle down and start a family. 'You ok, Ellie?' He says.

'I'm not sure how to handle this...if we were living in Sicily and this happened, it would've resulted in a fast wedding or someone getting shot.' Noelle says with all the seriousness a young girl could have.

'Don't bring that up, i'm still tempted to shoot Vincent.' Aldo says, resulting in a surprised look from Noelle.

Of course, she was still having trouble figuring this out.

Yeah, Vincent had betrayed her in the worst way possible but she didn't feel completely right about keeping him away from the baby.

She and Vincent hadn't meant to but the two kids had created a child. A living soul growing inside of her and like any new soon to be mother, Noelle was scared but she knew that she wouldn't be alone.


	21. Chapter 21:A new side of her

'I don't know about Victoria but if i were you, i wouldn't run that suggestion to Noelle. In her mind, that's murder!' Connie says as Michael takes a deep breath, stands up and walks into the kitchen, leaving Connie, Vincent and Lucy to talk this out.

'This is going to be harder than i thought.' He mutters softly, remembering when Kay told him what she had done while he was in Cuba.

He knew that Noelle would never do that!

Meanwhile

'I'm sorry, sir. Family only.' The petite nurse says, leaving Ettore to try to figure out his next plan. The history between his family, the Corleone and the Trapani families was a turbulent one and adding the fact that an innocent child was going to be born into it didn't make things easier.

'It's ok, miss. I'll handle it from here.' Aldo says after walking over to them. The nurse nods cautiously before leaving to check on another patient. 'I need to talk to your daughter. I know what her boyfriend did.' Ettore says.

'Absolutely not! Your daughter got pregnant on purpose to try to take Vincent away from Noelle and now it's not only her but my daughter involved in this as well!' Aldo says, shocking Ettore.

'Both of our little girls are having children because of some little punk who couldn't keep it under control?! That's it, i do need to talk to her. I won't hurt her.' Ettore says before Aldo nods and the two of them walk into Noelle's hospital room, interrupting Noelle and Dominic's conversation.

'Mr Barzini...' Noelle says, putting her hand on Dominic's arm when he tries to stand up. The older man sits back down, grabbing Noelle's hand. 'I know and i wish that i had stayed at home and let my daughter finish telling me the truth.' Ettore says.

'Yeah, we don't always get what we want out of life. If i had known what Vincent Mancini is really like, i would've just stayed away from him.' Noelle says. This wasn't going to be easy but she needed to let it out into the open and then protect her baby from Victoria Barzini.

She had a feeling that the other girl was up to something that could harm her but she didn't care about herself.

All she cares about is her baby.


	22. Chapter 22:She'll always be little

'What?! No, i'm not going to do that!' Noelle says, brushing a stray hair off of her navy blue sleeveless blouse. It had been a few days since she was released from the hospital and since then, Michael was trying to find the easiest way of saying to her what Vincent had in mind.

'I know that you would never do that, Ellie.' Michael says as Noelle rests her hand on her stomach. Just like him, the young girl also had something on her mind and if she didn't say it now, she wasn't sure if she would be able to.

'Do you ever wonder what would've happened if Kay hadn't done what she did? I know that you don't like to...' Noelle says before Michael rests his hands on her shoulders.

'I do think about it sometimes...what his name would've been, who he would've looked like and how Mary and Anthony would've handled having a younger sibling. Sweetheart, don't doubt yourself and your choices because they're yours to make and you have to be sure that whatever you want to do that it's your decision, not because someone's trying to pressure you into it.' Michael says, taking a hand off of Noelle's shoulder and brushes it against her face.

'I could never see myself taking my baby's life before he or she has had a chance to start it. No...Vincent is not going to get what he wants because he thinks that it'll make his life easier.' Noelle says before she and Michael hug.

' You hoping for a little girl?' Michael asks after they let go. 'If my baby's a girl, i want to name her after my mother but if it turns out that i end up having a boy...i want to name him after my grandfather and your father.' Noelle says.

'Jonathan Vito Trapani...i like the sound of that name. Of course, Frances Carmela Trapani has a nice ring to it as well.' Michael says, resting his hand on Noelle's stomach.

'Hey, kid...you and your mom are never have to worry about anything because everyone who loves you two will do anything to protect you. Just don't give your mom a hard time, ok?' He says, making Noelle smile.

She knows that Michael loves babies but that he also still sees her as one...and no matter what happens, that was never going to change.


	23. Chapter 23:Who he really is

'I know that i'm the last person that you want to talk to but Joey Zasa is in there right now and somehow he managed to convince me not to repeat what happened a few days ago.' Vincent says as he and Noelle sit down.

If there was one person that the two of them were angrier at more than eachother or Victoria Barzini, it was Joey Zasa. How in the hell did he figure it out...actually, Noelle already knew who could've told him. Victoria Barzini.

'If it was just us that were involved in this, maybe it would be easier but Victoria's involved too and i already know what you wanted me to do and there's no way that i could ever do that, Vincent.' Noelle says.

'I should've never said what i said to you and i...i wish that i could take it back, Noelle.' Vincent says, reaching over and brushes Noelle's tears away.

'Why? Why did you break my heart? Was i too innocent for you or did you just want her?' Noelle says. Before Vincent could say anything else, Joey walks over to them. 'Can you let us finish what we were saying to eachother...please?' Noelle says, forcing herself to be nice if it meant that he would back off.

Surprisingly, Zasa backs away and Noelle and Vincent go back to talking. Yeah, that was one thing that they could agree on.

They both know Joey Zasa for who he really is.


	24. Chapter 24:Always here

Dominic was glad that Noelle had made it through the day without getting stressed out. The younger girl was sound asleep in her bed and while Dominic has always been overprotective of her, he had another reason to protect her now because it's not only her that he's protecting, it's her baby.

'How long have you been there?' Noelle asks, opening her eyes as Dominic sits down next to her. 'Not long. I just wanted to make sure that you're ok.' Dominic says, brushing a stray strand of Noelle's hair behind her ear.

He suspected over a week ago that something was wrong when Noelle stopped talking for two days but just put it off as her not handling her and Vincent's breakup too well. As awful as it was, Vincent was her first love but Dominic just saw him as the punk who broke a sweet girl's heart in the worst way possible.

'I told Vincent that i'm still not sure about wanting him in my child's life. I'm not handling this too well, Dominic.' Noelle says as Dominic puts his arms around her. 'I'm never going to leave your side, Ellie. You can always count on me.' Dominic says before letting go and they lie down next to eachother, him brushing Noelle's tears away from her eyes.

'I've been a whirlwind of emotions lately and i have seven and a half months left before my baby is born. What if he does take off and never come back?' Noelle says, carefully turning onto her left side and facing Dominic.

'If he does, then he's a coward. You can't run away from your life no matter what happens.' Dominic says, putting his arm around Noelle as she drifts off to sleep.

'I love you, kiddo. I'll always be here.' He says, kissing her on her forehead before falling asleep as well.


	25. Chapter 25:When you were little

'Hey, calm down! Both of you!' Noelle says as Dominic pulls Mary and Anthony apart. It had been a quiet few weeks since Noelle and Vincent talked and surprisingly, Victoria and Noelle have stayed away from eachother.

Dominic tells Mary and Anthony to go to their rooms for a time out, remembering what Noelle was like at that age. 'When your little one is older, i hope that he or she doesn't act like you did at that age.' Dominic says, sitting down after the kids have gone to their rooms.

'I wasn't that bad!' Noelle says as Dominic looks at her, a questioning look on his face. 'Hey, she hit me first and i was four years old!' She says as Dominic brushes Noelle's hair back, running his fingers over the scar on the younger girl's neck.

'I remember that day. I was trying my best to behave and Victoria insulted my mom. That was a few months after my mom died...i miss her, Dominic. Even more now that i'm having my own child and she's not going to be able to see her grandmother.' She says as Dominic hugs her, brushing her tears away.

'You still hoping for a little girl, Ellie?' Dominic says. 'I always promised myself that if i have a little girl, i would name her after her grandmother.' Noelle says.

'I think that your mom would be proud that you would want to honor her like that. Of course if it is a girl, she'll have your feisty attitude when she's older.' Dominic says, making Noelle laugh.

'Oh, god. What if she brings home a boy like Vincent? I'll be in real trouble then.' Noelle says as she and Dominic laugh. 'Nah, you'll be able to handle it.' Dominic says as Noelle rests her head against his shoulder.

' _I'll be right there with you, kiddo. No matter what._ ' He thought, kissing Noelle on her forehead as she closes her eyes to rest for a little while.


End file.
